Sorry you're in the deep freeze so early this year. Does the F stand for frigid or something else? I'm outside in shirt sleeves here in north central CT. It's a mild & balmy 56 at the moment & I'll take it for as long as I can get it before that grouchy old winter rolls in. I'm busy sorting seeds & making up seed packs for trades.

Not quite as cold as you, we're hovering around 17 F and supposed to get colder. We're having a devil of a time keeping our hummingbird feeders thawed out, right now we've upped the sugar a bit and exchange them about every hour. Anna hummingbirds are here all year they don't migrate. The poor little things they're not moving very far from the feeder.

Annette

I do not envy either of you!! I dislike the cold, yesterday was in the 70's and today mid 60's. Heck thursday the high is mid 40's and the low is mid 20's. That is COLD to us!! I have never seen -11 nor do I want to. Brrrrrrr, just thinking of it!!! Brrrrr!!!!

At the moment it is low 70s here, but we are supposed to get some cold weather after Thanksgiving. Since several of my roses have buds right now, I hate to see it, but it is time for it to cool off.
kay

Not quite as much snow here LL, and maybe a few degrees warmer. Did this hit unexpectedly!! All of a sudden it turns from normal fall weather to full on winter.

At least we are used to dealing with cold/snow over here, it must be torture over in Seattle. There was actually a bus stuck for five hours over there- somewhere between downtown Seattle and one of my relatives houses!! Thankfully they don't live too far away from my grandmother (almost 94 and still lives by herself). Thankfully she has good neighbors too!
Stay warm and safe everyone!
CMK

The temp. this afternoon is a balmy 20*F and we're only getting down to -9*F tonight in beautiful No. Nevada. Tomorrow nights temp forecast is -15*F. We have had around 4-5" of snow, blizzard like conditions, and just last week I mowed my lawns and deadheaded my plants! No family members visiting this Thanksgiving because of the road conditions, but we have power (it goes out in bad weather), plenty of hot chocolate and I've received 3 new seed catalogs for 2011! A girl cant ask for much more than that! Hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving! Valree

It was 50 or so pretty much all day with wind, now this early evening the temp has dropped to 41 and suppose to be down to late 20's overnight. No snow predicted until Friday, but they said that about last Friday and we didn't get nary a flake.

Keep warm Lass! Get the tea kettle on.

Seattle looked like one big traffic jam, on the news, last night. All the highways were really backed up. What a mess!

On the weather last night, they said some big storm from California was running into an arctic blast, over eastern Washington. So, lots of snow, then really cold, followed by lots of snow!

It is pretty, though. It looks like a Christmas card, outside my window. Oh, well, time for another cup of tea! :)

I'll second schoolhouse & say keep warm but would add, please let us know how you're doing. The Mother Hen Club worries when one of its chicks catches a chill.

I brought in a couple wheelbarrow loads of firewood yesterday. Should have brought in more today but kept putting it off. Looks like that's what I'll be doing tomorrow rain or shine. The old cast iron woodstove is my security blanket for extreme winter weather. My neighbor had 8 trees cut down this year because he's tired of raking leaves (once a year?). I called dibs on the apple wood--those apple trees were very, very old--the trunks were 28 inches in diameter. Sad that he cut them down but I'll use the wood for heat and be thankful for it.

I'm about 30 miles south of Seattle, up on a ridge about 600 ft. above sea level, and right now the temp is 17.8 F, and there are a couple of inches of snow on the ground. It is supposed to warm back up into the 40s by Thanksgiving, so I'm hoping it will all thaw out by then. Good thing I went out before this Arctic blast came and bought all my turkey day supplies, I wouldn't want to take a chance on driving on these streets.

Of course, back in Massachusetts where I used to live, no one would bat an eye at this, but then they would also have been out there for hours and hours plowing over and over, and flinging lots of salt and sand. Here they don't plow, they just cross their fingers and wait for it to melt!

The seed-eating birds are all over the feeders, but I forgot to take my hummingbird feeder in (Oops!) and now it is frozen solid.

Hope everyone stays warm and dry and safe!

Birdy Tracks in the Snow!

Well, ten minutes ago, it was -11 F...now it's -12 F. and it's only 8:45 pm. This is really cold, even for us...especially before Thanksgiving.

The bad news, we were going to buy a fresh turkey this year, so no Thanksgiving food, yet. The good news, it's just me and my husband, going to my mom's this year, so we can always make do and have a big turkey for Christmas!

Living in the country can be a challenge, but the trade off is having my friendly deer and pheasants for neighbors :)

I don't like the cold either. I don't know how some of you get through those long freezing snowy winters. I'd get terribly depressed. Our winters are gloomy enough. It's in the 40s(f) here at the moment with occasional frosts at night. Still plenty of things green or flowering outside and lots to do in the garden.

We're around 21(F) right now, with the possibility of a high of 28 to look forward to later today. By friday if things go the way they say they will we'll be above freezing for a few days, fingers crossed.

Our winters are variable here, never know what we're going to get. Some years we're running around in shirtsleeves in december, some years we don't have any snow to speak of at all. In a mild winter the only cold snap we seem to get is a two week period around the end of january, beginning of february. I'm hoping we have a spring/summer next year like we had in 2009 that one was almost like old times.

Annette

Annette- What kind of spring/summer is that? I know you all usually have summers not as hot as ours...so maybe, an early spring?

Well, it got down to -16 F. at 11 pm..and then it decided to warm up a little (thank goodness) so it started getting warmer and now it's only -5 F! Also, the sun finally came out and it is beautiful! As long as you stay in the house :)

I'll try to take a picture later!

Lass, springs that actually arrive in march, the warming trend is gradual, last frost sometime around the end of the month not june 1st.
April, put the sweaters away and bring out the tank tops and shorts.
Beginning of may the veggie garden is planted, even the tender stuff. Kids go to the beaches, swimming at the lake, my garden is full of bloom. June start dragging those hoses around if we don't have rain, this can be a wet month here.
Summers hopefully in the 70s not in the 80s and occasionally 90s like we get some years, those higher temps fry my garden and me. September and october are sunny and mild but you can feel a freshness in the air, you can actually get your fall cleanup done.
Those kind of springs/summers/early falls used to be the norm around here, not anymore.

Annette

I don't envy you guys getting the snow and cold temps so early. I'm never ready for winter, but living in NH I can cope with it once it arrives. When we moved up here about 25 years ago there were many years we had snow before or on Thanksgiving. It seems like that trend has gone by (for now) and we have had much warmer Novembers than before.

I hope everyone stays safe and warm over the Thanksgiving holiday, and for the entire winter for that matter!

Annette- That sounds wonderful! Of course, I'm about a month and a half behind you (LOL)

I'm no global warming expert, but we seem to be having later, cooler springs and much colder winters with more snow. Hmmmm.......

80 Degrees today, then your awful cold comes down here and hits tonight, tomorrow morning hits 29 Degrees, our first freeze. Then back up into the 70's next week, and I wonder why my plants have issues!

Here in PA, we will be getting some rain/sleet in the morning to drive in, but it should change to all rain after noon.

I grew up in New England, so the weather here is a little wimpy to me. I am one of those strange people who loooove snow (as long as I don't have to drive in it). I will probably change my mind as I get older, but for now, I wish we got more snow than we usually do. I don't find winter gloomy at all; the sky is so blue and the light is so clear and bright after a snowstorm, much more brilliant than in hazy summer.

Lois in PA

75 and sunny here every day...we did have some much needed rain though. All my roses are amazing....so many buds and blooms. Unfortunately we will have rain tomorrow, Friday, and then....drum roll...it will be 29 Friday night. Sheesh...all the camellia buds and roses will be toast. So there you have it....La Nina at work.

I hope everyone stays safe and warm. My SIL just sent a video on her cell phone of the snow in Bellingham WA....brrrr. c

Here in Iowa depends what part of the state past week. SE had up to 65* and nw 8 where my son got 14 inches of wet snow. Sme it has melted. We got freezing rain wed for short time. But yesterday it was cold and windy but roads where good.Guess Twin Cities in Minn. Tuesday had 400 car accidents from ice storm.

Bad news...it's snowing HARD and we'll probably get another six inches!

Good news....the temperature is up to 32 degrees!

Better news....I don't have to go anywhere today :)

It's sunny and warm -2C, ~28F. November 22-23 the lows were -32C, -26F. The mean temperature was -25C -- it was cold and breezy. On the 15th the high was 6C, ~44F

ogrose,
we had the same weather - in the upper 70s and low 80s, then the arctic Front moved down into the state with some much needed rain (but not enough) and the temps dropped down into the 20s on Thanksgiving night (Thursday). It has gradually warmed up since then. I went out in a tank top this morning to tend to my chickens. All the greens are gone except for the evergreens, and the colors are gray, brown, gold and black and such will be the case until Spring. The winter skies here are the bluest of azure on clear days and gray to brown on cloudy days. The only colors around here come from the winter birds, a few red berries on holly bushes, the frosty-blue berries on the Junipers and the bright pink wild Beautyberry bushes. There is one Bittersweet vine left down in the grader ditch and it is covered in orange berries this year. So pretty. All the rest were recently bulldozed down along with dozens of old, giant trees down in Owl's Canyon. The trees and shrubs and vines and rocks were all pushed down into the bank into the canyon, covering over the big culvert pipe under the road that connected to our property. It is an ugly eyesore to say the least. When the rains come again, and they will, it will wash away all that loose soil and erode their yard away, causing flooding on the road. The creek on our side of the road has nowhere to run now. I am just sick over the losses - and the owls have lost their ancient habitat. They were natural predators of the already over abundant prairie rodents and rabbit populations that will now have no predators to keep their numbers in check. The coyotes are being killed off and crowded out and they too were natural predators of rodents and rabbits - (stupid humans).
All the beautiful Junipers (Cedars) and hardwoods that were so lovely in Fall and Winter, that provided homes for so many birds, reptiles and animals are now gone.
Sorry, I got off topic there a bit, but it is depressing.
I planted more cedars and several varieties of Southern pines, Tulip trees, some Sweet Gum trees and Southern Maples (with beautiful scarlet leaves in Fall) and some Birches. I also planted a Frasier Fir tree. They are all little, but hopefully they will be big enough to enjoy before I die. :)
I plan on adding some Winterberry shrubs by next year for their beautiful red berries in the Fall and for the wildlife.
These will provide interest all year round, and add more colors to the property in Fall and Winter, and that will make the cold wintry temps more bearable.
I guess that deep freeze just got to me. :(

sweetannie4u

I spoke too soon. Horrible icy blast arrived on Friday and we have had some snow in November for the first time in 20 years. I have to laugh at ljpother... "It's sunny and warm -2C". That's the temperature here today and we are all shivering and complaining about the awful cold.

Annie- Who did the bulldozing? A private citizen or the government?

That's going to be a mess, when it rains this spring. I'm so sorry. Can you plant any jupiters to block the ugly view, or do your deer eat them?

More snow yesterday, so we have about 10 to 12 inches, total. Not too bad, but we're supposed to get another 7 to 8 inches starting Tuesday. At least it's up to 27 degrees today!

This weather isn't that unusual...in January, but kind of an early winter for us, this year.

Flora- I guess it's all relative :)

It's COLD here right now and was pretty chilly all day. We warmed up by cutting down a lot of bamboo on a vacant lot. I could go back and get tons more. So handy for next summer!
My veggies are hiding under their tents. Pretty snug. The cats are seeking out every afghan and warm, cosey spot to snuggle..

Once you accept that it's winter, a sunny -15C makes a really nice day. Crunchy snow, bright, and warm if you dress for it.

I agree with you ljpother but unfortunately we are not prepared for it. Our houses get cold, we don't have the right clothes and our cars can't deal with snow and people don't know how to drive in it. The schools shut if there's more than a couple of inches. The roads clog up because they don't get cleared fast enough. The hospitals get full of people who have fallen on ice because we don't have the right footwear and no one clears the pavements. The kids at school were turning up this morning with no gloves,hats or even coats. They just have no conception of how cold they will get and they don't want to look uncool. It was -5 at 8.30 this morning. Most winters it rarely dips below 0.

I feel for you Flora, if the kind of weather you're experiencing was the norm, it would be easier to deal with. You're probably even having trouble buying the gear you need to deal with it, stores probably haven't much in stock. Stay safe, keep warm, hope for an early spring, that's what I'm doing.

Annette

When I worked in Yellowknife, I was walking to work in a blizzard. I had a down parka with a snorkel hood completely buttoned up (I've done that maybe twice). There was a kid across the road in a windbreaker holding his boots. Kids don't notice the weather or don't understand the connection to that numbness in their toes.

Hope those who live where winter is usually mild stay warm. I remember it snowed one year when we lived in southern Germany. I don't think some people had seen that too often, or maybe not at all, and were out driving their cars with smooth tires and pulling their kids on sleighs behind! Cars were slipping all over! Not a very safe practice and I hoped no one got hurt but they were having the time of their lives!

We had the really cold front but now it's 'balmier' - going up to 0C (32F) for tomorrow's high but down to -8C (17F) at night. I don't really notice how cold it is unless the wood stove doesn't keep up and the furnace kicks in. Always comfy indoors, enough food supplies for probably a good week, a nice neighbor plows our private road and our long driveway, and with 4 wheel drive and good winter tires I'm prepared. Tolerate having to wear boots for months which is difficult for me as I prefer bare feet! At least I can have bare feet in the house.

Last night when we drove home from the city and it was just starting to snow again there were 3 big trucks with snow blades and sand/salt loads waiting til the snow got deeper before they headed out. Most people are ready for it so it's not so bad.

LL my roses are wearing their fencing rings filled with peat moss and a layer of snow. I'll pile more snow on them over the winter. I'm hoping for more snow than we had last year as the ground was almost bare in January and I was putting leaves I'd saved for compost on some plants. Hope the roses make it but if not I'll have to get even hardier ones cause I'm not doing more to protect them.

We are having a La Nina year this year. That means the wildly fluctuating temps with high winds. It will be warmer than usual and no rain or snow likely.
We are already having grass fires. It is going to be a bad year. The drought will be bad next spring and summer and what the drought doesn't kill the fires could.
The last time we had La Nina was in 2005 and 2006. It was bad! Farmers had to haul in water for their livestock and there was no hay crop or wheat crop, so other states helped out and brought hay and grain to help the ranchers and farmers. Farm ponds dried up and the big lakes nearly disappeared...and it was super hot in the summer. Record breaking temps.
Oh boy!

I gave up on Really Cold when I moved from up north... :) Now I experience "relative cold". It was relatively VERY COLD riding my bike this evening in the pouring rain. Although the air was in the high 40's, being wet made it feel freezing cold.

We are having a La Nina year this year. That means the wildly fluctuating temps with high winds. It will be warmer than usual and no rain or snow likely.
We are already having grass fires. It is going to be a bad year. The drought will be bad next spring and summer and what the drought doesn't kill the fires could.
The last time we had La Nina was in 2005 and 2006. It was bad! Farmers had to haul in water for their livestock and there was no hay crop or wheat crop, so other states helped out and brought hay and grain to help the ranchers and farmers. Farm ponds dried up and the big lakes nearly disappeared...and it was super hot in the summer. Record breaking temps.
Oh boy!

"I remember it snowed one year when we lived in southern Germany. I don't think some people had seen that too often". I'm really surprised to read that. When I lived in Munich it snowed a lot and was very cold - at least to me. I had never experienced such cold. And everyone had winter tyres. Another thing I had never come across before. There are jams all over the UK today. The picture is from last Feb but the same thing is happening now. It's the main motorway which runs round London. My brother is a truck driver and he is stuck at the coast because they haven't got enough salt to clear the dock roads.

Here is a link that might be useful: We can't cope with Winter!

Luckygal- I'm with you...my little roses have to be tough, because I have too many other things going on, to baby them. I tell them all summer...you're farm roses, you have to be tough! LOL We'll see if it works :)

Well, I walked home from work over frozen snow wearing multiple layers in -5c on Friday evening. Around 9.00 pm it started to pour with rain, the temp went back up to +5 and within an hour the snow was gone. That's why we can't cope! We never know what's coming. The plants were caught by surprise by the cold snap. Some have dropped their frozen leaves before they'd even changed colour. Don't think I've lost anything. Even the fuchsias look as if they'll be o.k. Got the agaves and the lemon indoors just in time.